The "Nutcracker"

Auditions:All Westchester Ballet Company members, and the Academy student dancers who will perform with them, are chosen each September at the WBC company and Nutcracker auditions held on a weekend in mid-September.

This year’s dates are posted on the LDA Events Calendar on the LDA Information Pages.

Please note that not all students auditioning will be cast in The Nutcracker.

Junior company membersare chosen on the basis of ability, and must be at least 8 years old with a minimum of 2 years’ ballet training.

Senior company membersare chosen on the basis of ability and must be at least 12 years old, at Pointe B level, and following the required pointe curriculum for the Intensive Program. These dancers will perform in The Nutcracker as well as other performances during the year.

Student dancersmust be at least 7 years old, in second grade, and at the Ballet II level. Students 7 years old and in first grade may audition for a waiting list. Student dancers will perform with the Westchester Ballet Company dancers, but they are not considered company members.

Casting decisionsare made by the Artistic Directors and are final. Please be aware that dancers are given roles suitable to their age, level, ability, and size. Dancers may be asked to perform the same role for several seasons if the Artistic Directors deem them to be the best dancer for the role.

Dancers have the right to decline an invitation to be a member of the Westchester Ballet Company and perform in the Westchester Ballet Company’s Nutcracker production. However, no alternate roles will be found for them and they will not perform with the company that season. The Artistic Directors must be notified that a role has been declined before rehearsals begin.

Details of these policies are communicated on the day of the audition.

Your commitment:At least one parent of each dancer (company members and student dancers) must attend the initial parent volunteer meeting. Additionally, one parent of each dancer appearing in The Nutcracker must commit to a volunteer position requiring at least 4 hours of their time. Volunteer forms will be sent out with your child’s contract. Please note that your child will not be allowed to participate in the production unless one parent has volunteered to help during The Nutcracker production period.

For safety reasons, parents of children under 12 must supervise their child’s group during at least one performance or rehearsal in addition to their 4-hour volunteer commitment.

Westchester Ballet Company membership involves dues for all Junior, Senior and Student dancers, plus a contribution to the costume fund dependent on the number of roles danced.

In addition, each family, regardless of the number of children participating, is required to join the Westchester Ballet Company for the season at the minimum level of family membership. Fees are posted with all audition information on the WBC Web site. The cost usually includes your family’s copy of a professionally recorded VHS tape or DVD of the production.

Rehearsals:Rehearsals will be on Fridays, Saturdays, and/or Sundays, depending on your role(s), for the 12 weeks preceding The Nutcracker. Only 3 absences are allowed for company dancers and 3 absences for student dancers. All dancers must attend the first 3 rehearsals for their role—these are setting rehearsals. If absences exceed these limits, the dancer will become the understudy for that role.

No dancer will be allowed to perform without attending the October and November stage rehearsals and the final stage, tech, and dress rehearsals in their entirety. There are no exceptions.

Performancesrun Friday to Sunday over one December weekend at the County Center in White Plains. All performers must miss two days of school for final rehearsals and performing. The Friday performance is attended by children from area schools and so must be held during school hours.

Full details of your participation commitment if you are cast in the production, and information about applicable fees, are given out at the audition. Policies and procedures are reviewed at a mandatory parents’ meeting prior to the first rehearsal